Housekeeper in Marbella and Sotogrande

Finding a housekeeper in Marbella who is trustworthy, discreet and willing to live in your home is easier with an agency that selects candidates for you. Mimucama is a domestic-staff agency based in Madrid, and we have been selecting domestic staff since 2010. We work with families on the Costa del Sol.

We are a placement agency authorised by the Spanish Public Employment Service (SEPE, no. 1300000335), with our office at Avda. Guadalix, 7, 28120 Santo Domingo, Madrid. We select live-in staff only: live-in housekeepers, live-in nannies and married couples. Candidates are chosen in Madrid and travel to your home in Marbella or Sotogrande.

This page explains what families on the Costa del Sol usually ask for, how permanent staff work in a second home, how the selection is done at a distance and what the fees and the guarantee include.

Hiring a Housekeeper in Marbella: What Families Ask For

Marbella is a municipality in the province of Málaga, on the Costa del Sol, with 159,786 inhabitants according to the Spanish National Statistics Institute (INE) on 1 January 2025. Its best-known residential areas are the Golden Mile, between the centre and Puerto Banús, and Nueva Andalucía, with villas and golf courses. Further along the coast, in the province of Cádiz, Sotogrande is a residential estate in the municipality of San Roque, with a marina and golf courses.

The houses are large, often with a garden and a pool, and the work is mostly about the house itself. Childcare takes up less of the day than in big cities. According to the INE register, the United Kingdom is the largest foreign nationality in Marbella, with 5,232 residents in 2022 (Marbella demographics, in Spanish).

We have also worked with Gibraltarian families who live in Sotogrande and run their businesses in Gibraltar. Many Spanish families from Madrid also have a second home here.

In our experience, requests for a housekeeper in Marbella fall into three groups:

• Permanent staff for a second home: someone who lives in the house all year and keeps it ready while the family is away.
• A live-in housekeeper or a nanny in Marbella for the family home: cleaning, cooking, laundry and, where there are children or older relatives, their daily care.
• A housekeeping couple for a large property: two professionals who share the house, the garden, the pool and the car.

Permanent Staff for Your Second Home in Marbella and Sotogrande

This is one of the most characteristic requests in the area. Many families keep someone living in the house all year round while they are away: a housekeeping couple or a live-in housekeeper who keeps the house ready for their arrival. The house is never left empty, and you arrive to a home that is ready.

The workload of this post changes a great deal depending on whether the house is empty or full. Before the search starts, it helps to write down what you expect in each situation.

What a Housekeeper in Marbella Does While You Are Away

The tasks usually include:

• Maintenance and cleaning of the whole house
• Airing the rooms
• Looking after the garden and the pool
• Reporting any problem to you straight away

When You Are at Home: Normal Service, Agreed Hours

When the family is in the house, the service is that of any home with a family, with the hours you agree in advance. The difference is that the person already knows the house, so the service is ready from the first day of your stay.

Live-In Housekeeper or Housekeeping Couple for a Large House?

The choice depends on how much there is to look after. A housekeeping couple is hired together, and the work is often split: one partner takes care of the inside of the house, the other of the garden, the pool and the car. For a large property with grounds, this usually spreads the load better than one person can.

When a Single Live-In Housekeeper in Marbella Is Enough

If the main tasks are the house, the cooking and the laundry, or the care of children or of an older relative, one person may be enough. Tell us about your case and we will assess it with you. For couples, see our page on live-in couples (in Spanish).

Nanny in Marbella and Live-In Care for Families with Children

Many families with children look for a live-in nanny. In a house where parents work or travel, a nanny in Marbella brings stability by following the children’s routines, preparing meals and keeping the home running.

The Costa del Sol has several British and international schools. In Marbella, the directory of the National Association of British Schools in Spain (NABSS) lists Swans International School and The British International School of Marbella. Nearby, Sotogrande International School offers day and boarding places. If your children attend one of them, the school timetable shapes the working day of your nanny in Marbella.

You will find more on our page about live-in nannies for families with children and babies (in Spanish).

Filipino Housekeeper in Marbella: Our Speciality

Many international families on the Costa del Sol look for a nanny in Marbella or a housekeeper who speaks English. Filipino staff are our speciality, and they generally have a good level of English.

What you can expect:

• Previous experience working in Spain
• References checked with former employers before we present a candidate to you
• A selection done at a distance, with the usual process: you define the job, we present candidates and you decide

To learn more, read our page on Filipino domestic staff (in Spanish).

How to Hire a Housekeeper in Marbella from Madrid

Candidates are selected in Madrid, where our office is and where we interview them, and they travel to Marbella or Sotogrande to start. Occasionally there may be staff already living in the area. We cannot promise it, because it depends on the moment, but we check when we define the job.

The process, step by step:

1. We define the job with you: tasks, hours, who lives in the house, whether you need one person or a couple, and whether the job is all year or seasonal.
2. We present candidates whose experience and references have already been checked.
3. You interview them by video call, without leaving home and without the candidates having to travel.
4. If you wish to meet a candidate in person, the candidate can travel only for that interview, with the ticket paid by the family.
5. You choose. The final decision is always yours.
6. We agree the start date with you, taking the journey into account. The travel to start the job is always paid by the family.

If your family lives in Madrid, you can meet the candidates in person there. We present the first candidates within 48 to 72 hours of defining the job, except for very specific profiles.

Distances, Travel and Days Off

Madrid and the Costa del Sol are well connected. According to Renfe, the AVE high-speed train between Madrid and Málaga takes about two and a half hours. According to the access guide, Sotogrande is about 40 minutes by car from Marbella, 25 from Gibraltar and 70 from Málaga airport.

Live-in staff who travel from Madrid have a day and a half off per week. They often agree with the family how to group their rest days so they can go back to Madrid now and then. Each family arranges it in its own way.

Questions to Ask a Housekeeper in Marbella in the Video Interview

The video interview is short, so arrive with your questions ready. Open questions, such as “tell me about…”, work better than yes-or-no questions.

Housekeeper in Marbella: Experience in Large Houses and Second Homes

• Tell me about the largest house you have worked in. What did a normal week look like?
• Have you looked after a house while the family was away? What did you do each week?
• How do you air the rooms and keep a house in good order when nobody is living in it?
• If you noticed a leak, a fault with the pool or a problem in the garden, what would you do and who would you tell?
• What would your previous employer say about your work?

Concrete examples tell you more than general statements.

Daily Routine, Hours and Rest

Describe a normal weekday in your home and check that the candidate understands it.

• How would you share the work between the house and the garden if you came as a couple?
• How do you understand the weekly rest and the days off, and how would you like to use them?
• Would you like to group your rest days to go back to Madrid now and then?

This is the moment to clear up misunderstandings. What you agree about hours, rest and tasks is also what the guarantee expects you to respect.

Language, Distance and Discretion

• Which language will you use with the family? How comfortable are you in English and Spanish?
• How do you feel about being alone in a large house for long periods?
• How do you handle information about the family, such as visitors, photographs or comments to other people?
• What do you need in a home to feel comfortable, such as privacy or time on your own?
• What would you like to ask us?

Leave time for the candidate’s questions and take notes during the call.

Salary for a Housekeeper in Marbella: Guidance Only

As guidance, salaries start from €1,800 net per month, in 13 payments, for a live-in worker who travels from Madrid. Net is what the worker receives; the gross salary and the social security contributions are worked out according to Spanish domestic-employment rules.

For a housekeeping couple, hired together, the guidance is from €1,650 net per month per person, also as guidance. It can be higher depending on the profile of the candidates and the requirements of the job.

These figures are a guide, not a fixed price. Every placement depends on many factors: the profile, the tasks, the hours, the travel, whether the post is live-in or for a couple, and whether it lasts all year or only a season. That is why we always prepare a personalised quote for your housekeeper in Marbella.

Preparing the Home for Live-In Staff

A good start begins before the new member of staff arrives. It helps to have the following settled:

• A private room, with a wardrobe, a comfortable bed and a space of their own to rest
• Hours and rest breaks, in writing
• Days off, and how they combine with public holidays and trips to Madrid

The clearer it is from the first day, the fewer misunderstandings there will be.

Fees for a Housekeeper in Marbella and the Six-Month Guarantee

Our fees are one month’s salary, calculated on a 13-payment basis, plus Spanish VAT. They are paid in two parts: 50 % when the hiring agreement is reached and the remaining 50 % no later than the start day. Holding interviews does not generate any fees.

The fees do not include the worker’s journey to the place of work. For a job outside the Community of Madrid, the family pays that travel, including that of any replacement. All the conditions are in our terms and conditions, which you accept before the interviews.

Outside the Community of Madrid, the service guarantee lasts six months from the start, with one replacement: two starts in total, counting the first. If the person who started leaves the job permanently within that period, we repeat the selection with the same profile at no additional cost. To use it, email us as soon as it happens, and no later than fifteen days after the departure; the fees must have been paid in full and the agreed conditions (pay, hours and social security registration) respected.

Contract and Employer: How It Works in Spain

The job is in Spain and the family is the employer under Spanish law. We also handle the Spanish social security registration and the employment contract.

Discretion and Trust

A person who works in your home knows your routine and your family, and sometimes looks after the house in your absence. For that reason we ask about discretion in every interview and with former employers. The data of your family and your home are treated confidentially.

This page is also available in Spanish: Servicio doméstico en Marbella y Sotogrande.

Frequently asked questions

How long does it take to find a housekeeper in Marbella or Sotogrande?

We present the first candidates within 48 to 72 hours of defining the job, except for very specific profiles. You interview them by video call and you choose. The start date is agreed with you, because the candidate’s journey has to be organised. A housekeeping couple always takes longer to find, even in Madrid.

Can you place permanent staff in my second home all year round?

Yes. We select live-in housekeepers and housekeeping couples to live in the house permanently, including when the family is away. Before the search, we agree with you what is expected at each moment: maintenance, garden, pool and getting the house ready for your arrival.

Who pays for the candidate’s travel?

The family always pays the travel to start the job. If you want a face-to-face interview, the candidate can travel only for it, with the ticket also paid by the family, although video calls are the usual way. We discuss it when we define the job.

How much does a live-in housekeeper in Marbella earn?

As guidance, from €1,800 net per month, in 13 payments. For a housekeeping couple hired together, from €1,650 net per month per person. It is not a fixed price: it depends on the profile, tasks, hours, travel, live-in or couple, and all year or seasonal. We prepare a personalised quote for you.

Do you have a nanny in Marbella or a housekeeper who speaks English?

Yes. Filipino staff are our speciality: they have experience in Spain, their references are checked with former employers and they generally have a good level of English. Interviews are by video call, and the selection carries a six-month guarantee with one replacement.

What happens if the person we hire does not work out?

During the six months after the start, if the person leaves the job permanently, we select one replacement: two starts in total, counting the first. You must tell us by email as soon as it happens, and no later than fifteen days after the departure; the fees must be paid in full and the agreed conditions respected. Details are in the terms and conditions.

Is a live-in housekeeper or a housekeeping couple better for a large house?

It depends on how much there is to look after. With a garden, a pool or a car, two people share the work better, and a housekeeping couple often suits permanent staff in a second home. If the main work is the house, the children or an older relative, one person may be enough. Tell us your case.

Do you keep my family’s details confidential?

Yes. We ask about discretion in every interview and with former employers. The data of your family and your home are treated confidentially. When someone is going to live in your home, or look after it while you are away, trust comes first.

Looking for a Housekeeper in Marbella? Contact Us

Every placement is different, so the first step is to listen to you. Tell us about your home, whether you need a live-in housekeeper or a housekeeping couple, and whether the job is for the whole year or for a season. We will prepare a personalised quote and start the selection.

Contact Mimucama (the page is in Spanish, but the form also works in English) or call +34 916 22 21 42. Whatever you tell us about your housekeeper in Marbella or Sotogrande stays between us, and the first conversation does not commit you to anything.